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POEMS 



Gs'CARL BRONSON 



1 



l_ibr«iry «f Congress 

"•wo Cohts Recejveo 
OCT 6 1900 

Cepyright tntry 
SECOND COPY. 

okoh r>! vision, 
NOV 23 1900 



'^-^ <?v. 



Copyright, 1900, 

BY 

G. Carl Bronson. 



Preface. 



I grasp my pen <wUh eager hand, 
Wea've into shape the tangled strand. 
And strt<ve to telt, at least, a part 
Of Tvhat is passing in my heart. 

The -verse is done. 'Tis far too <weak. 
The burning Tvords but feebly speak 
The grand exquisites of my souU 
'Tis only half— God kno<ws the <wholeI 



Tttdcx. 



Absence - - -- - - . . . -22 

A I<andscape 28 

Appreciation 24 

At The Journey-'s End 40 

Confession 33 

Dawn ----13 

Demonstration - - - - 21 

Deserted Home - . . - - - - 36 

I Hear Them Calling - 37 

Longing 33 

My Wife 20 

Mother 27 

O Fleeting Winds 5 

Old Friends Are Best 30 

Onward! Upward! 19 

O, Tide Eternal 34 

Presence 23 

Resurrection 3g 

Reverie 8 

Softly The Night Winds 16 

Suffer Uncomplaining - - 31 

There's A Time ----.-.. 14 

There's A Dark Little Room 32 

The*Dying Never Weep 12 

Thus^<Would I Die ------- 35 

To-mortow 18 

'Twould ro For Thee 29 

Under The Leaves 25 

Unknown Depths 26 

Wasted Moments --.--_.. u 
Your Soul and Mine -- 39 



Timing mmas! 

O fleeting winds ! 
That viewless sweep 'twixt earth and sky, 
What do you hide from mortal eye ? 
What is that strange, resistless force 
That sweeps the forest from your course ? 
Tell me, do contending armies rage, 
Exterminating warfare wage ? 
Or is 't the earth-bound spirits' sweep, 
Rushing t'ward appointed keep? 

Tell what mean those voices in the gale, 
That rise and fall in mournful wail. 
Is it the awakened souls that find, 
For deeds black, no peace of mind? 
Or do you mourn the soulless dead, 
That godless cross the stream of dread? 



Tell me, balmy southern breeze, 
What is 't you whisper i' the trees. 
That woos the sluggish sap from sleep, 
From bud, green leaf and blossom leap. 
Till, burdened with their odors rare. 
You scatter fragrance everywhere ? 

Or when, with poppy-laden breath, at night 
You fold the world in slumber tight. 
Do angels pause at break of day 
To kiss the spell of sleep away ? 

What know you of the lonely way, 
Where mortal feet may never stray ? 
Where oceans hold unbridled sweep. 
And tempests' furies wildly leap ? 
Or where, along a barren beach. 
The tides of progress never reach. 
And mountains raise majestic head, 
Whose caverns yawn, whose fires are dead ? 

Where wends your trackless tide afar, 
Amid the regions of the star ? 
Do other beings of our mould. 
Communion with your forces hold ? 



viewless ocean of the soul ! 
Whose ceaseless ebb from pole to pole, 
Breathes breath of life o'er barren fields 
Whose secrets not one atom yields 

Of aught beyond the entering gate, 
Nor tireless research compensate, 

1 know the feel of vanished hands, 
I hear the tunes of other lands, 
And long with clearer sight to gaze 
Within the complex of your maze. 
Now, burdened with this frame of clay, 
My soul awaits propitious day, 
When, tuned to vibrate true, divine. 
Death's mighty secret shall be mine. 



^W 



Reverie, 

With boat and pole, 
Light o'er the shoal, 

I glide, I glide. 
The crystal stream 
Whirls in a dream, 

And wide, and wide. 



The fish below 
Dart to and fro, 

And leap, and leap, 
As round the bend 
I slowly wend 

O'er deep, o'er deep. 



The trees bend o'er 
The sloping shore. 

And dip, and dip ; 
The current bends 
The leafy ends, 

That skip, that skip. 



A startled deer, 
From tangle near, 

Takes flight, takes flight 
Iveaps o'er the ground, 
With graceful bound, 

And light, and light. 

I pass the steep 
Where brooklets leap, 

And whirl, and whirl ; 
And dash with spray 
Their mossy way, 

And purl, and purl. 

Now by the bowers, 
Where water flowers 

Abound, abound ; 
Whose colors gay 
Bedeck the way 

Around, around. 

On past the shoal 
I lightly roll, 

And sweep the deep ; 
Where boiling swell 
Their warnings tell 

Of rocks that sleep. 



10 



The sun sinks low, 
With golden glow, 

So bright, so bright ; 
And shadows creep, 
Adown the steep. 

Comes night, comes night. 

The moon sails o'er, 
With silver lore 

Of beams, of beams ; 
And casts them away 
O'er the slumb'ring day, 

And the streams, the streams. 



-^^ 



11 
masted moments. 



Could we o'erlive the wasted moments all, 
How much of good is lost beyond recall ! 
Why finding fault, with groundless doubts dis- 
tress ? 
'Tis aimless strife that doth our years oppress. 
Wealth, fame fade like the sun's last dying ray : 
No sweet reflections light the fading da}^ 
O stoop to kiss the baby lips upturu'd, 
God help him whose proud mien such offer 

spurned ! 
These little acts, as we grow old, enlarge, 
And make us debtor to a costly charge. 
O when one heart beats fondly 'gainst its mate, 
Two souls link'd thus for life, what happier 

state ? 
When two lips, speechless, press against iwo 

more. 
On Cupid's wings to love's sweet kingdom soar ; 
Where two eyes in two other's depths doth see, 
And feel a moment of eternity: 
Ivove is the essence of this mortal life. 
Sweet recompense for bitter, hopeless, strife. 



12 

Cbe Dying never mecp. 

The dying never weep ! 
But gazing t'ward some distant land, 
Their life ebbs out like grains of sand 

That seaward creep. 

The dying never weep ! 
As clouds along the eastern bourn 
Await the burst of golden morn, 

They do but sleep. 




13 



If 'tis twilight, and the dying sun 

Has vanished into night, 
Do you ask the pale reflection if 

There '11 ever be more light? 

If 'tis twilight, and from weariness 
The tired heart longs for rest, 

Surely those who toil in darkness shall 
Awaken to be bless'd. 

If the frosts of many sorrows have 

Each left their cruel trace. 
Does it mean that no more laughter shall 

Illume the troubled face? 

What matter if 'tis twilight and 
Bright day is on the wane ? 

Though long, dark shadows gather, surely 
Day will come again. 

If 'tis twilight and youth's golden gleams 
Have long passed out of sight. 

Take heart, O wearied traveler, see ! 
The morning star is bright, 



14 

CD^re's a Cime to Strike, 

There's a tiuie for work. 

A time for play, 
Tliere's a time to preach, 

A time to pray. 

There's a time to run, 

A time to fight, 
Though it's hard to tell 

Which action's right. 

There's a time to love, 

A time to hate, 
A time to forgive. 

Ere 'tis too late. 

There's a time to laugh, 

A time to not ; 
There's a time to strike. 

While the iron's hot. 

There's a time to act, 
But how few know 

Just when occasion 
Will suit the blow. 



15 

Some, through luck or an 
Accurate guess, 

Hit the nail squarely, 
And then profess 

T'was so intended, 
Cleverly planned, 

And only awaited 

The turn of a hand. 

Others, less lucky, 

Strike right and lefi, 

And into fragments 
The ozone's cleft. 

The right time to strike 
Is known to few ; 

Conservative be, 

Mind what you do. 

If advice you'll take 
From worldly wag, 

Make use of your wits, 
Don't let them lag. 

The right way to do, 
And seldom miss, 

While laying your plans 
Make note of this ; 



16 



If by your efforts 

You make time and place. 
You can strike it square, 

And win the race. 



Softly m mm lums. 

Softly the night winds 

Fan amid the flowers ; 

The gathering shadows 

Mark the passing hours. 

The moonbeams quiver 
Gently from above ; 

All earth and heaven 

Speak the Savior's love. 

Father, be near me 

Thro' the coming night ; 
Guide my spirit to 

The realms of light. 

O for the many 

Weary souls athirst, 
From threat'ning clouds let 

Flood of blessings burst, 



17 

Give to the homeless 

Shelter in Thy heart ; 

I^et not the tempted 

From Thy path depart. 

O to my weakness 

L,end a helping hand, 
And guide me safely 

To the morning land. 



•'^N^^'^l^iyb/S- 



18 



Co-morrow. 

There is a day beyoud whose dusk 
Shall dawn a bright forever ; 

There is a day wheu you and I 
These earthly ties shall sever. 

There is a day whose early morn 
Shall free us from all sorrow, 

Whose faintest glory shames the sun 
It is the sweet to-morrow. 

A last good-night, and then at dawn 
Waking, we shall view the shore, 

All radiant with the awaiting host 
Of dear kindred gone before. 



19 



Onward! Upward! 



On ! my faltering courage, on ! 
Pause not till the battle's won ! 
On ! there's no such word as '* fail ;' 
Work and prayer on high avail. 
Onward ! martyred to a cause, 
Teach the world unwritten laws ; 
Launch well out into the deep. 
Carve a name while idlers sleep. 
On ! though lowly be your aim. 
Worthy effort just the same ; 
Stand up boldly, true to self, 
Be not sway'd by greed of pelf: 
Matters it what be your creed ? 
Worth is gauged by earnest deed. 
Onward ! ever undismayed ; 
Strengthen those who are afraid. 
Onward ! mark your purpose clear ; 
Pause not when the goal is near. 
Onward ! when the babe is born ; 
On ! toward a brighter morn ; 
Onward ! shall our watchword be ; 
Upward ! t'ward eternity. 



20 



my Wife. 

Fair ! by all that makes a woman fair, 

So fair is she. 
Dear ! by all that makes a woman dear, 

So dear to me. 
Nursed on a noble mother's breast, 
With all her tend'rest graces blest. 
Beneath a father's jealous eye, 

Her purity. 

Kind and patient, ever watchful she, 

Unknown to strife ; 
True as only woman's heart can be, 

My joy, my life. 
My consolation night and day. 
My guardian through life's troubl'd waj- 
The inspiration of my dreams—; 

M}' loving wife. 



tr 



21 



Demonstration. 

TO MAUDE. 

I care not fcrr love's words, so lightly spoken ; 
I care not for the language of the rose ; 

Close to my breast, I need no other token ; 
Your presence there is all my wooing knows. 

When in your arms, I need no other dwelling ; 
Your eyes, my dear, are as the sky to me ; 

My burning love defies the feeblest telling, 
But, bursting forth, engulfs us in its sea. 

I'll not complain when grief my heart assailing, 
'Twill not despair while thine beats close to mine; 

But when alone all else is unavailing. 
An empty void is left and I repine. 

I hear no music, for the lute is broken ; 
The sweetest songs have lost their charm for me ; 

The deepest love defies all other token ; 
Then in thine arms, love, let me buried be. 



22 



Where once we strolled amid the flowers, 
The frost-nipped leaves now fall in showers 
November winds in cold blasta sweep 
Through barren boughs in minors deep. 

The sod, once green, has turned to gold ; 
Death clatters through the shiv'ring wold ; 
And lonely autumn hides her woes 
Beneath a shroud of winter's snows. 




23 



Presence. 

.^ 

But see, the clouds have vanish'd 'neatli 

the sun ; 
The melting snows in torrents run ; 
The robins in the maples sing, 
And chatter of the coming spring. 

The air is joyful with sweet sound ; 
The silvery streams, where fish abound. 
Rush on and on with merry leap, 
Through leafy glade, o'er rocky steep. 

My heart expands, life is more dear ; 
The one I love is with me here ; 
And all the joys in heaven confined 
Our own, with two such loves combined 



24 



flpprccUtion. 

Hast thou a heart? Fear not to tell. 

Hast thou a love ? O blessed spell ! 
Cherish it day and night, 
Nor let indifference blight ; 

lyOve suffers change. 

Hast thou a rose ? Enjoy it, too, 
While fragrant with the morning dew. 

Ivife's midday sun may burn, 

Rose-leaves to ashes turn ; 

All fair must fade. 

If thou wouldst keep thy golden treasure, 
Thou canst not leave it at thy pleasure. 
Lest some poor famished heart 
Steal it from thee and depart. 
'Tis lost forever. 



25 



Unaer tbe Ceaocs. 

Bury the hopes that have lived and perished, 
The phantom dreams the heart hath cherished , 
Tinder the leaves. 

Bury the pain of sad awakings, 
The tears and sighs of rude heart-breakings, 
Under the leaves. 

Bury them all where the night wind weaves 
A brilliant shroud of the dying leaves. 
And from the tomb where your sorrows sleep, 
A new and glorious life shall leap. 



26 

tbc Unknown Deptbs. 

Backward and forward sv.-ings the sea 
In wearisome monoton}- ; 
Now like a monster curving o'er ; 
Now lovingly it laves the shore ; 
Forms in crests that break and purl, 
Or storm-tossed vessel madly hurl 
Upon some reef, a crushing fling, 
Then rolls on in unceasing swing. 

O dark, uufathomed deep ! 
What mysteries shall forever sleep 
Within your mighty confines dark, 
Where lies the lore of hapless barque ! 
Roll on, then, in God-given course ! 
Roll on with unconquerable force ! 
Your glowing streets of coral red, 
No mortal feet shall ever tread ; 
Your emerald banks and silvered caves 
Are hidden safely 'neath your waves. 



27 



motber. 

There's a stillness of death in my heart, 
mother, 

An awful stillness of death, 
And a shadow falls o'er my life, mother, 

Ivike the blast of an icy breath. 

The hours outweigh the days, mother, 
The days outweigh the years, 

And the river of life is flushed, mother, 
With an endless rain of tears. 

The lines of care are deepening, mother, 
Like seams in the mountain side ; 

Our paths have led us apart, mother, 
And the space between grows wide. 

My heart is speechlessly sad, mother, 
But the dawn is coming fast ; 

The universe is round, mother, 
And we shall meet at last. 



28 



J\ Eanascapc. 

Toward the rill, 

A sloping hill, 
Its mat of verdant green. 

Where buds unfold 

Of marigold, 
And cast a yellow sheen. 

A clump of trees 

To stay the breeze, 
A straight road running thro': 

And where the sun, 

In early run, 
Absorbs the beads of dew. 

And further on. 

Beyond the dawn. 
The road tracks narrow wedge 

Toward the copse. 

The alder tops 
Deepen to a hedge. 



20 

Across the sky 

The vapors fly, 
Their gold-embroidered crest ; 

The breeze of June, 

A sweet caroon, 
Sings to the slumbering west. 



Xwouia Be Tor CDce. 

If midst th^ battle's crimson heat, 
When victory perching on my sword, 

E'en though the act should bring defeat, 
I'd turn to hear one tender word : 
'Twould be for thee. 

If thou shouldot bid me come, 

There is no power could hold me ; 

My soul would circle heaven's dome, 
Till my fond arms enfold thee : 
'Twould be for thee. 

If faltering in yon radiant sphere, 
Heaven's holiest offerings spurned ; 

If seraphic music fail my ear. 

My longing eyes be earthward turned : 
'Twould be for thee. 



30 



Oia Tricna$ Jfre Best 



When all the flowers of summer fade, 

And withered leaves bedeck the ground, 
Cheerless winter thro' the glade 

Spreads a fleecy mantle round. 
Or when silver threads shine thro' the gold, 

And life's dread sorrows on our pathway 
fall, 
'Tis then the heart doth dearly hold, 

Old friends are best of all. 

Then here's a pledge to dear old friends. 

Who've cheered us oft in days of yore ; 
Kind remembrance ever lends 

Balm for every trial we bore. 
Ah ! love may falter and the heart be blighted. 

Our fondest hopes may prove in vain ; 
Still thro' our tears we smile, respited. 

If friendship true remain. 



31 



Suffer Uncomplaining. 

Ivcarn to suffer uncomplaining, 
All ye weary and oppressed ; 

Joys at best are few and fleeting, 
Sorrow is the world's bequest. 

When dread storms the heart assailing, 
Faith shall triumph undefiled ; 

Sin and sorrow lurk in darkness, 
Be not from the light beguiled. 

When our foes, like hosts contending. 
And the dearest hearts betray, 

God's abiding love defend us, 
Patient trust shall win the day. 

O, the everlasting sweetness 
Of the brotherhood of grief, 

Of the blessed self-forgetting. 

From our cares, what sweet relief ! 



32 



Cbm'$ a Dark EUtlc Hoom in my l)cart 

There's a dark little room in my heart, dear. 
That's waiting a tenant, I know ; 

'Tis ready and wants but the thrill, dear. 
Of a vow that will set it aglow. 

O come, then, and dwell in my heart, dear, 

The price a mere trifle to pay ; 
The lease shall be sealed with a kiss, dear, 

But binds us forever and aye. 




33 



Confession. 

Who hath lived true love disproving, 
Hath not found the way to live ; 

Love like mine can never perish. 
Thus my heart I freely give. 

Wouldst thou, then, such love disdain? 

Fill my years with vain regret? 
I can exist without your loving, 

But I never can forget. 



Lending. 

I know, before I lost you, dear, 
Beyond the limits of this sphere, 

I could not see. 
But ever now toward the skies, 
I gaze with upturned, longing eyes, 

In search of thee. 
Some day, I know, the clouds will part. 
And I shall hold you to my heart, 

Eternally ! 

LofC. 



34 

Ot tide eternal ! 

O, tide eternal, 

vSwift bear me over 
To shores supernal, 

Where angels hover. 
Waters are dashing, 
Thunders are crashing, 
Lightnings are flashing 
O'er abyss of dread. 

You whom I cherish, 
Weep not, but wait ; 

Souls cannot perish, 
God doth create. 

He'll not forsake me, 

But homeward take me ; 

Speak and awake me. 
Bid me to rise. 

When all is over. 

Thy will be done ; 
This homeless rover 
Faces Thy throne. 
Sweet be the waking. 
Heaven's dawn breaking, 
Earthly dust shaking. 
For evermore. 



35 



Cbu$ Ufouia T Die. 

Could I but choose my spot to die, 
'Twould be out-of-doors, 'neath a cloud- 
less sky ; 
Where the birds sing soft and sweet. 
And the bloom-deck'd branches meet, 
There would I die. 

I want no stifling room to hold me. 
No winding-sheet to fold me ; 
But free my soul, perchance, 
With all creation for expanse, 

Thus would I die. 



36 

Dcserrea f)omc. 

Before the door I pause with dread ; 
The room is empt}-, the guests have fled 
The threshold seems to draw a Hue, 
That bars the way 'twixt me and mine. 

I hear no old, accustomed souud, 
To break the stillness all around ; 
No pattering of the baby feet ; 
No welcoming voice my comings greet. 

There lies a doll and here a shoe, 
Some idle blocks, a toy or two ; 
And mamma's rings, two golden bands, 
Recall the touch of vanished hands. 

A host of dreams to move the heart. 
From every nook and corner start. 
And thus I pause, though man of steel. 
Around my heart a faintness feel ; 
My nerve is gone, my limbs give way. 
And on ni}' knees I sink and pray. 



37 



T Rear CDem Calling. 

(Affectionately dedicated to Dr. H. W. Thomas.) 

Far away I hear them calling, 
Angel voices sweet and low, 

And I hear their chorus singing, 
Soft and slow, soft and slow. 

How divine the heavenly music 
Falls upon my raptured ear ; 

Fills my inmost soul with longing. 
Sounding clear, sounding clear. 

Far away, like stars unnumbered. 
Wends the radiant heavenly band ; 

I can hear the glad bells ringing, 
Happy land, happy land. 

I am coming ! I am coming ! 

Open wide the mercy gates ; 
I shall soon be singing with you ; 

How the thought my soul elates ! 



38 



Resurrection. 

Shorter days and chilling showers, 
Flying leaves and dying flowers ; 
Barren trees, all ghostly white ; 
Swerving gusts that moan the night. 
Frozen streams, whose livid faces 
Reflect the moon in shimm'ring glaces ; 
Ivong, dark streaks across the sky, 
Blinding drifts of snow-flakes fly. 
Summer's dead, these her mourners, 
Gather round from dreary corners. 
Here lurks death in mighty vastness. 
Strange, mysterious, awful fastness ; 
Here sleeps the soul beneath earth's crust. 
Until the sun, fulfilling trust, 
Melts the seal of icy bands. 
Scatters cold to other lands. 
Now, spring and life, with joyous bound. 
Drives the mourners from around. 
Away, O death, and chilling cold ! 
Scatter blossoms o'er the mold. 



39 



Vour $oul and mine. 



I've found my soul, dear heart, at last. 
Not in the air, the sea, the sky. 
Nor in the winds that scurry by ; 
Not in the pearls of nature's crown, 
Nor in the hills' majestic frown ; 
Nor yet in music's magic spell. 
Where souls most frequently do dwell ; 
But in your love and in your ej'es, 
Were my first glimpse of paradise. 
Pure as the dew that decks the vine. 
Thy love is heaven, then heaven's mine. 
I've found my soul in your dear eyes, 
Two stars plucked out from night's dark 

skies : 
As thou art mine, O gift divine ! 
Thou art my soul and I am thine ! 



40 



Jit m Journey's end. 

Ah ! you who come with courtly train, 

Just at the journey's end, 
Insensate dwellers of the flesh. 
Unwilling caught within the mesh. 
You throw your jewel'd burdens down, 
Their worth for you will buy no crown. 
Just at the journey's end. 

How sweet the calm of earn'd repose. 

Just at the journey's end ; 
When, hollow-cheeked and wasted-limbed, 
Weary-eyed and tear-bedimmed, 
We lay our burdens at His feet, 
All thankful for the rest so sweet. 
Just at the journey's end. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

OCT 6 1 O'lS ^02 282 8 t 



